Academic side-note: an excellent book about memes, culture, genetics, evolution, and life is by one of my favorite philosophers: Daniel C. Dennett

From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds

https://www.amazon.com/Bacteria-Bach-Back-Evolution-Minds/dp...

I think a fantastic follow-up to The Selfish Gene is Daniel Dennett's From Bacteria to Bach and Back: The Evolution of Minds:

https://www.amazon.com/Bacteria-Bach-Back-Evolution-Minds/dp...

The author (a philosopher informed by scientific theories, writing on the subject for many decades) weaves together the grand story explaining biological evolution, evolution of minds, evolution of culture, and more (explaining how memes are a very useful concept to understand the tremendous non-biological changes over the course of the history of life).